


Waking Dreams

by Ravenille



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Alternate World, Angst with a Happy Ending, Children-centric, Gen, Memories of foam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 10:23:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6654244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenille/pseuds/Ravenille
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The night is Kiragi's greatest enemy. Because night always brings back memories that he wants to forget.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Waking Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired Memories of Foam DLC  
> I hope you enjoy reading this~
> 
> For Clara~ Thank you so much for the beta~ <3

**Waking Dreams**

He was their sun; glowing bright amidst the world that has been forsaken by light. He was their ball of energy, lifting the spiraling spirits of his comrades. He was their storehouse of unparalleled optimism; the bearer of the contagious smile that somehow always seeped into everybody’s hearts and faces no matter how grim their surroundings were. He fueled and sparked everyone’s flames of hope that had been reduced to embers; stomped to cinders by their world that has forgotten to be kind.

He was Kiragi, the son of the proud second prince of Hoshido. He was the son of Takumi, the wielder of the bow blessed by the Gods.

In another world that has been submerged to perpetual darkness beyond salvation, he was their sun. But the sun set into the horizon; pulling the veil of night as it waved farewell. The night was his greatest enemy.

For as darkness fell, his facade fell along with it.

No matter how hard he tried to keep it together, everything always broke apart. Again and again.

He could not embrace the tranquility and comfort that his bed offered. He badly wanted to but his mind kept it off-limits from his grasp. The shadows that lingered in his mind clung and dragged him into a world that he wanted to drown to into oblivion whenever he shut his eyelids.

Tonight was the exact replica of its predecessors.

Here he was once more, in this barren and ruined world that he loathed. Back in the world that gave him everything before snatching them all away in a blink of an eye. He witnessed everything change. He saw how the blue skies turned dark, how the fresh breeze of the wind was gradually replaced with the reeking stench of iron; how a once colorful and radiant country became filled with crimson splatters. How the streets that was once echoing vibrant laughters became hollow after the shrieks died down to silence. He witnessed them all.

It was once an animated kingdom...but those images were starting to blur into nothing as he became used to the monochromatic aftermath.

Why did everything have to thread this way?

The war was supposed to come to a fruitful conclusion. He already had the image of Hoshido without the threat of war knocking on its door.

In his mind, the images were perfect. Shiro playing with the younger children or diligently training with Shiro’s father, Ryoma. Asugi tirelessly consuming his mountain of sweets. Rhajat testing hexes he doubted were safe. Mitama creating haikus. Caeldori practicing to perfection even though she already was flawless. Midori brewing bizaare medicines with a variety of herbs. Shigure singing to the forest animals or painting his heart out. Hisame scolding his father for being childish. Selkie brushing her fur. Dwyer serving tea, brewing coffee, or plainly slacking off.

His uncle Ryoma finally and rightfully being crowned King. His Aunt Hinoka instructing the other knights of their kingdom. His Aunt Sakura lending a hand to other people and treating the ill. His honorable father dutifully serving as an advisor to the King, and his peace-loving mother uncedingly percolating the idea of the pacifist.

His father being the mighty pillar of the family; his mother being its unshakeable light.

His parents... being the loving people they are.

He could visually perceive himself running around the castle and playing with the other children. Perhaps having a friendly contest with his father like they always used to; only halting whenever his mother brought snacks. He might have been studying wonders with the company of his mother, or perhaps hunting and being praised by his father as he bragged about his own latest achievements.

His mother and father were the best parents he could ever wish for. They were a total fit for each other; like how perfect a sushi is with rice and fish stuck together. His father was kind, thoughtful, and liked to compliment others; but the same amount of praise he could not give to himself. He had the habit of deprecating himself although in truth, he was most awe-inspiring. He could be dishonest at times: telling tall tales that were paradoxical to what he really meant to utter.

But his mother could discern it all without a sweat. Often, his father didn’t even have to verbalize anything for his mother to comprehend. She could translate his expressions or gestures as if she had a whole dictionary of him etched in her mind. His mother was a kindred soul. She fought valiantly in the war; moving forward despite her heart being torn between her birth family and her adoptive ones. However, despite the tough choices and the grueling circumstances, her spirit was never shaken. She was always compassionate and doting to the ones that she loved.

He saw bulks of promising scenarios and possibilities in his mind’s eye. A scenario of him seeing his baby brother, who his parents named Kana, behold the world for the first time. Of him playing with his younger brother and teaching him how to hunt.

He already had the image of them, as a healthy, happy family savoring the warm breeze and basking under the soft lights as they observed the cherry blossoms daintily glide through the air.

But all those images were ripped apart right before his eyes.

Everything faded into mere memories of foam.

His world came tumbling down when he lost his mother. His world ruptured into sediments for his brother who never got a chance to have a glimpse of the world outside. His world shattered into a rain of tortured glass when his father took his last breath in his arms; when the world started weeping for itself.

They were content, they were happy. Everything was in its proper place. And yet, why...

Why..?

Why did everything have to be taken away from him? Why must chaos befall upon them again? Why did this cold blooded world have to purloin what he treasured the most?

Why, oh dear gods why?!

Kiragi asked these a million of times to all of the gods that he knew in case at least one of them decided to issue a response.

What kind of sin had he carried out, he wondered. What did he perpetrate to deserve all these ill fortunes? If so, was it not adequate? Have they not suffered enough? They already spilled rivers of tears and blood. When will it suffice?

They have been left in this forsaken world with no one else to lean on but themselves. They were just children, too tender to see these horrors.

They were just orphaned children longing for a dream; a past that they could no longer live in. Instead, they were left with a bone chilling and savage way of living.

Raising their weapons and plunging into deadly battles every single day; sleeping with their ears open for possible enemy besiege. Living today with no secure comfort that they would still be alive to witness tomorrow. Pushing forward towards an uncertain future; not knowing if it was even worth all of their afflictions.

And yet he continued to smile.

However, his smile was more for himself than for others. He was convincing himself; steeling his resolve when it was already melting.

He was already burned out. He was worn out of grinning when everything was falling apart and nobody in the world could mend it. Why were they left when everyone else was removed?

Why did they not just take him away along with everyone else? He was sick of all this death and unabating cycle of misery and despair.

He was tired of vocalizing “Everything’s gonna be all right.” when he was fully aware that it was not.

If not for the dire moment, he would have laughed for being such a hypocrite. He was calling his father a dishonest man when he was on the same ground.

His father...

His father’s words kept him anchored. Those words kept him from straying from the path he was tredging and kept him from being unkind in a world that has forgotten to be sympathetic.

“ _You are one of the few people that truly makes me happy. I don’t deserve it, but having you and your mother was the most precious gem that I could have ever found. You’re my pride, my joy, my everything. You’re the best son I could ever hope for and I’ll be eternally grateful for having you. You helped me more than you could ever assume. Your smiles always warm my heart. Don’t ever stop being who you are because you’re the best. I want you to be happy... I want all the happiness for you... even if I’m not in it.”_

_“Now listen...what I want you to do...is run...and never look back....”_

And those... were the final words that consumed his heart.

His father’s words rang vividly in his ears. No matter how much grains of sand poured down to the bottom of the hourglass, in the middle of the nightide, his pillow still became wet with tears. Suddenly, his bed became empty and frigid. He missed the arms that protectively embraced him; the warmth that enveloped his whole body.

In the witching hour, when he was most vulnerable, everything still continued to haunt him. The ghosts of his past and what ifs that could have formed an alternate present. The sweet and bitter memories mixing together; forming a bloodied blade that kept on stabbing his already-wounded heart.

And yet in the morning he still cracked a smile. He sought courage as a new dark dawn arose.

He would never let his father’s sacrifice lose its significance.

_“I’ll come back, I promise. Have I ever lied to you?”_

Yes. It was the first and the last time that his mother uttered a huge lie to him.

Because she never came back. None of their parents came back.

But he still beamed for the others; for himself.

But it never did stop.

The torture, the heartache. They never ceased.

And then they were reunited with their parents. Although, it was not to to walk home with them. It was to set them free.

_“Father...Hey! You’re my father, aren’t you?”_

_He fixed his eyes of the figure before him._

_“Hey, father... At last we met. I thought we never would see each other again.”_

_He was there: his father, standing with a menacing aura of purple swallowing his body; his mouth unmoving._

_It was his father... or what was left of him. But still... All the words that were kept on piling in his throat, he let them violently trickle out like the waters of a clogged waterfall seeking to pour out._

_“Hey... I made lots of friends. I can use the Fujin Yumi now, too. I wanted Father to praise me a lot now that I’ve learned to use it. Although you’re not very honest with yourself sometime..., so maybe you wouldn’t openly praise me. But you’re my beloved Father, so I thought that you’d smile and be happy for me… So… Hey, say something, Father…”_

_Still, nothing. Not a single word, just pure silence. A silence more dreadful than the nothingness itself._

_“Father… It’s okay. Everything will be okay. We’ll turn you back to how you were before. So then please… Call my name like you always do.”_

_“Kiragi!” He knew that voice better than his own. It was what his ears and his heart wanted to hear but will never happen._

_“I’ll run and jump at you, saying that I love you… So catch me, okay?”_

_Kiragi smiled for him one last time._

_“I’ll end this right now and I’ll set you free.”_

_And so, he let go of the radiant blue arrow and hoped that his overflowing feelings will reach his father and pierce his heart._

_One... last time._

 

Kiragi bolted upright in his bed. He was dripping with sweat and he was breathing heavily. He wiped away the leftover tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. His hands were trembling. He took a deep shaky breath, a moment, to calm his nerves.

It was a daily routine that he got used to.

Dreams--Nightmares, refused to let go of their grip on him even though that he was now in another world.

Another world... another chance.

A world where all the pieces were locked together into a harmonious jigsaw puzzle. A dream that they once thought was unattainable. A world that they fought so hard to get into in order to prevent the future that they dreaded to live in. They were still required to raise their weapons, but it was a small price to pay for the chance of returning everything into the right direction. They could save thousands of people; they could spare their parents; they could alter the course of fate. It was a small sacrifice compared to the weight of what was at stake.

Kiragi fixed himself and went outside for a breath of fresh air. The sweet wind that became foreign to him cleansed and healed his weary soul.

When Kiragi first arrived into this “another world”, his reaction was an overwhelming surprise. He caught glimpse of that particular man: that man with the beautiful caramel eyes burning with the passion of a thousand wildfires. The raging warmth eminating from the man’s raving soul was perfectly complemented by the cold, blue glow of the divine bow latched into his hands.

Takumi, Kiragi’s beloved father. Alive and well.

He smiled his biggest and most genuine one in months. Their parents don’t remember them, but they do. Seeing them alive was the greatest happiness they have tasted in a long while. They were still the same. Identical personalities, lines, habits, and expressions. It was so uncanny but completely heartwarming.

But he was still scared. What if all of this was just a dream? What if he woke up into a nightmare again? If that was the case then he didn’t want to ever open his eyes once more.

Kiragi’s legs subconsciously delivered him to the archery range. Doing some rounds would probably do him good. He usually did this in _their_ world to shrug off the aftereffects of his nightmares; hoping to release the tension along with the arrows sailing by in midair.

But at times like this night, it was different.

What his eyes perceived was not the wooden target in front of his sight. Rather, it was a figure clad in a coal black hood; his face hidden by the shadows. The source of all their misery and suffering. The root of all the tragedy that took their parent’s lives. Their life, their world; everything. The man that robbed them of their future.

Kiragi continuously and ferociously fired a queue of arrows at the hooded man, wanting to erase his figure that burned itself in Kiragi’s mind. He wanted justice for all the damage that this man inflicted.

But a strong hand grabbed his arm; halting his attacks and pulling him back to reality.

It was his father. Those soft and sweet caramel eyes oozing with mixed emotions that he could not separate. Hey were enveloped in silence; his father’s frame illuminated by the dim moonlight.

When his father examined Kiragi’s fingers, that was when Kiragi noticed that he was already bleeding from the overexertion of using the bow.

Much to his surprise, his father tore a portion of his own sleeve and wrapped it around the wound on Kiragi’s fingers.

“Nightmares?” His father asked while gazing at the star filled sky.

“Yeah. It’s nothing much though! I probably just listened too much from Shiro’s spooky story.” He beamed a smile when his father looked at him.

His father’s face suddenly morphed to a forlorn expression. , “I’m so sorry.”

“Eh? Why are you apologizing?”

His father looked up into the dim sky as he spoke, “My son being haunted by nightmares like how I once was is the last thing I want.” He sighed, “And also, for all the experiences that you’ve been through.”

“Ah, please don’t worry about it. None of it is your fault. I’m fine!”

“That smile can’t deceive me. I know it all too well... because I once used it, too.”

Kiragi was taken aback when his father suddenly pulled him into his two, strong arms and wrapped him tightly.

“You’re way too young for all these pains. I never wanted you to be like me in that aspect. I never wanted you to be submerged in a world of pain and lose your parents at an early age. I don’t want you to be plagued by nightmares; by shadows creeping into your mind every night like how they did to me. I want you to be happy. I want to give all the happiness I could ever give you. I could never take away the pain but let me just tell you how proud I am. You’re my pride, my joy, my everything. You’re the best son I could ever hope for and I’ll be eternally grateful for having you. _”_

Kiragi, with his lips trembling, tried to smile, “Funny, you said those too before. I guess you’re the same in all worlds. And that’s why... that’s why... y-you’re the best father... that I could ever have...”

At that point, his tears just came flooding out. No matter how much he tried to stop it and to save himself from looking weak in front of his father, they would not oblige.

“It’s okay to cry,” Kiragi’s father whispered, “You’ve done your best to be strong and kept smiling through them all. You can drop the brave act with me. Don’t think that you’ll look weak in front of me. In my arms, you’re not a prince nor the wielder of the Fujin Yumi. You’re not a fighter for a better future. In my arms, you’re just my beloved son, Kiragi.”

His father took a deep breath, “I love you so much, Kiragi.”

Kiragi cried a river. It felt like his heart suddenly popped out. All the pain that he has been burying; all the days that he was crying alone in his room and lost in thoughts. All those misery of being forced to fight for survival; all the wound inflicted by the tragedy of losing so much.

Everything came gushing out.

And so, he cried himself to sleep. But this time, he did not feel cold and empty. He felt warm. He felt great. He was finally freed from all the heaviness that he has been enduring.

It was the best sleep that he had in ages. It was free from the horrid scenarios that kept on replaying and forcing him to relive a life that he no longer wanted. He felt his father’s warmth seeping into his soul; wrapping him in a protective embrace.

In his father’s arms, he felt safe and loved. And once more, he felt at peace.

He was filled with reassurance.

Because no matter what the future held, he would be there. They would protect each other. He would not be alone anymore.

And his waking dreams finally faded away.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Kiragi is such a precious child and I love him so much~  
> I feel like a horrible person for giving him too much heartache in this fic.


End file.
